"Enemy"

"If I’m what you say I say I am, then it shouldn’t be hard to understand," proclaims Merchandise’s Carson Cox to a hater (or several) on "Enemy", with a smile and a flip of the bird. "If I’m your enemy, then I’m keen to be your enemy." Never mind the fact that its warm, cheery hook is essentially an acoustic spin on the Stones' "I Can’t Get No Satisfaction"—"Enemy", the latest from the Florida band’s forthcoming 4AD debut After the End, might be the most gleeful kiss-off since Cee-Lo’s "Fuck You!". Merchandise's "Morrissey in Hell" aesthetic goes all new-wave heaven, as guitarist David Vassalotti skillfully maneuvers between workmanlike riffs and sprawling psychedelic solos, thickened now and again with Duran Duran-style keyboards.

Cox looms above it all, serenading the world he loathes with a croon so honeyed, you practically expect him drop to one knee and ask for his enemy's hand in loathing. "Enemy" takes uncertainty and spins an anthem out of it, passionately arguing for the freedom to live life and make art as one sees fit. "What if I don’t want to pray to your god everyday?" Cox sneers. "I just want to sing for myself/ This way". In the case of "Enemy", "this way" is the best way, indeed.